Lights shine down on Lismires footballers

LISMIRE GAA facilities continue to be a focus of transformation over the past decade and another chapter has closed on the installation of lighting on its playing field.The progressive club is seeking to keep up with the changing times on developing its recreational facilities on and off the field.Lismire GAA was founded in 1972 and captured the Novice Hurling Championship

LISMIRE GAA facilities continue to be a focus of transformation over the past decade and another chapter has closed on the installation of lighting on its playing field.The progressive club is seeking to keep up with the changing times on developing its recreational facilities on and off the field.Lismire GAA was founded in 1972 and captured the Novice Hurling Championship

By John Tarrant

LISMIRE GAA facilities continue to be a focus of transformation over the past decade and another chapter has closed on the installation of lighting on its playing field.

The progressive club is seeking to keep up with the changing times on developing its recreational facilities on and off the field.

Lismire GAA was founded in 1972 and captured the Novice Hurling Championship grade and repeated the success in the 1990s. And during the intervening years, the club won four Duhallow Junior A Hurling Championship titles, purchased and developed a pitch opened in 1982 and erected a hall and dressing rom complex in 1986.

Club Chairman Oliver Kearney said Lismire was the last club to complete a three in a row of outright victories in the Duhallow Championship(1983-85).

“Due to emigration and various social factors during the 1990s, the club’s fortunes gradually declined. Lismire is now one of the smallest clubs in the county if not the country. However this club is resilient and continues with a policy of club improvement and development”, he said.

It’s against this background, the club continued on its development programme with the recent installation of a floodlighting system around the playing field and it follows last year’s refurbishment of dressing rooms and shower rooms in the club hall.

Mr Kearney added the players are the most important assets to the club and stressed the importance of improving facilities for both players and spectators. The provision of floodlighting was a necessary development for much of the club’s playing season reaches a peak late in the autumn with daylight at a premium.

“We couldn’t keep asking players to come training at 6.30pm after work in order to have some daylight. At the moment, the club is training for the County Junior B Hurling Championship semi final against Belgooly in Donoughmore on Saturday”, he said.

Club Secretary Gerard Moynihan said Lismire investigated the possibility of floodlighting the pitch to help the club’s involvement in competitions in the latter portion of the playing season.

“With the grateful assistance of Dáil Deputy Michael Moynihan, Lotto funding under the 2004 Sports Capital Programme was secured and following a tendering process, the go ahead was given to local electrical contractor Eugene Finn,” he said.

Club Vice Chairman Tony McAuliffe spoke of the enormous task undertaken towards seeking fiance for running club affairs and development projects.

“The club is very much indebted to everyone supporting the Cork GAA Clubs Draw with thanks extended to Deputy Michael Moynihan for his assistance in obtaining Lotto funding in addition to his time, effort and advice in all of the development projects”, he said.